What should I think about before I post something online?

Rabbi Landau teaches that the first thing to realize is that you do have influence. “One post can sell out a product. One video can change an election. One honest sentence can stop somebody from giving up.” Today, he says, “you don't need one television station, you're holding one.”

So the question is no longer whether your words reach people. “Your phone is not only a window into everybody else's world, it's your voice inside theirs.” Whatever you post lands inside someone else's life, the same way other people's posts land in yours.

That leaves one question to ask before you post: “What are you campaigning for?” Rabbi Landau recalls the words “bishvili nivra ha'olam,” the world was created for me, as a reminder that every person carries real weight. Use that voice for something that matters.

Going deeper: Rabbi Landau's teaching, level by level

Surface claim

Every person with a phone has real influence; one post can change how someone thinks, buys, votes or feels.

Underlying need or longing

One honest sentence can stop somebody from giving up.

Deepest human truth

Since the world was created for me, the question is not whether I have a voice, but what I am campaigning for.

More questions from this teaching

• Why does social media make me feel like everyone is succeeding except me?